Kleptomanic
by MTkurbs4xx
Summary: How far will Nagihiko go to stop Rima from stealing his clothes? Is her one condition worth fulfilling?
1. Kleptomaniac's Condition

She had done it again.

That little blond kleptomaniac had taken another one of his hoodies behind his back. She must've slipped into his room while he was getting drinks for everyone in the living room downstairs. The anime show called Shugo Chara was playing on Amu's laptop, and all his friends were watching to see the uncanny resemblance each character had for them. Too lazy to pause the video, they had asked him to get the drinks. When he came back, they were crouching over their elementary and middle school yearbooks, comparing their younger selves to the characters on screen. "It's kind of creepy how on point they are with us," said Kukai with a small frown.

"It's not like they meant to have their animations resemble us," assured Amu.

"Coincidence then?" Kukai asked the gang.

They all nodded their heads in agreement.

"At least we know we look good animated." Nagihiko looked over at the blond haired speaker and sighed. Sitting on the floor was Rima clad in his favorite blue hoodie that he had just washed before they came over and left out on his bed in plain sight. It pooled around her and hid her crisscrossed legs underneath its folds. Walking over to their little circle, he set the drinks down on the round coffee table and plastered on a fake smile to hide his annoyance. Addressing Rima, he asked, "Why do you have my hoodie on," and just to make sure he wouldn't be the only one annoyed in his group of friends, he added in a sing-song voice, "Rima-chan?"

Rima ground her teeth together and answered flatly, "Because I can," as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But it's not yours."

She shrugged. "I always give it back."

"Still," he pressed stubbornly.

Her eyebrow began to twitch, and he smiled genuinely this time at the telltale sign that he was starting to get under her skin. "If you're so bugged by me wearing your hoodie,"-her eyebrow stopped twitching as an idea came to her mind-" then get yourself a girlfriend," she deadpanned. He watched slack jawed as she exited the room to put the yearbooks away for Amu, her face expression as calm and unreadable as it had been when he delivered their drinks.


	2. Status Change

Nagihiko couldn't believe what he was about to do.

Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that the only reason he was about to do this was to show Rima that she had no right to wear his clothes without permission. Steeling his resolve and pushing all thoughts of regret to the back of his head, he marched over to a specific lunch table of girls, the pleasant expression on his face hiding the dread that grew with each step. Just breathe, he told himself. It's not as bad as I'm making it out to be. I'm sure she's really sweet deep down inside. Just like Rima. He swallowed hard as he reached the table. Forcing his arm to move, he lightly tapped the girl on the shoulder, bending down as he did so to quickly whisper the forced words of: "Will you go out with me... Saaya?" into her ear before adding hastily, "A nod or shake of the head will do."

She nodded.

He straightened and exited the cafeteria. Just what had he gotten himself into? I'm sure she's really sweet deep down inside, he tried to convince himself once again. Just like Rima.

* * *

Rima watched him with narrowed eyes as he left, jealousy of Saaya burning in the pit of her stomach. Pressing her lips together tightly, she closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. No need to let on to the others that she was actually affected, after all. Standing up, she made her own exit as Saaya's ego got inflated even more upon realizing just how much her status would rise in school.

Why was she so unhappy?

She told Nagihiko to get a girlfriend, and only stole his clothes because he was the only one free out of their group of friends. Kukai and Utau were a thing along with Amu and Ikuto. Heck, even Yaya had her boyfriend, Kairi, although they did make quite a good couple with Kairi keeping Yaya in check with her sweets and Yaya keeping Kairi social, dragging him out of the library more often than not. And now it was Nagihiko and Saaya. A frown marred her lips at the thought. Nagihiko and Saaya, Saaya and Nagihiko.

She didn't like it at all.


	3. Stranger

One week. That's how long Rima had stayed away. For one week none of his clothes were stolen, specifically his hoodies, and Nagihiko couldn't decide whether or not to be glad. Well, it was nice to have his clothes back, but the feeling that something was off ever since he got a girlfriend plagued him day and night. The fiesty little blond that he had grown so fond of never visited him anymore and he didn't know why. She was the one who told him to get a girlfirend, so he did, and now she was acting distant. When it was just the two of them at school, she would act stiff around him but was the same old Rima around everyone else. At their meetings they had despite being veteran Guardians, she would volunteer to do random jobs here and there.

Rima never willingly helped out.

Her excuse of preparing herself to have to do chores now that she lived alone was flimsy at most to him. She still had servants to come at her every beck and call, didn't she? Or did the boys finally grow out of that phase? He didn't know anymore.

What got to him the most was the fact that they no longer bantered. In group outings Rima stuck close to Amu, which was natural, but when the couples drifted off, which happened more times than not, she ignored him. That was fine. What wasn't fine was that she never looked at him. It was like he was an eye sore to her or something and he hated it. Just what was going on with her? He asked her if she was okay once, and she replied with a sharp, "I'm fine." The bite her tone held had never been used with him before, and made him worry even more. This wan't the Rima he knew, not even close. This was a stranger who looked just like the blond, but this wasn't the girl he worked so hard to get to know. After all the layers he had peeled back, the defenses he had gotten past, this wasn't the warm girl who would grace him with her rare smiles and shy laughs when they were alone, just the two of them enjoying each others presence.

He didn't know who this person was at all.


	4. Confession

She wanted to look beautiful in her boyfriend's clothes, but it was so hard to find the perfect article when they weren't shown off to their full extent. Frowning, she began to take out all his shirts from his dresser and unfold them. Saaya's frown grew as she found all his T-shirts to be plain. Way too boring for someone as beautiful as her. Clothing should complement their wearer, not drag them down. If this was all he had then she'd better lay them out to see which one suited her eyes the best. Saaya placed them on Nagihiko's unmade bed, but stopped as she realized that anything she put on would look good. Still though... Smiling, she emptied out all the drawers, piling all of Nagihiko's flannels out on top of his dresser. Nothing really caught her eye. She did a 360 of his room and dismissed all of her options. They just weren't worthy enough to be worn by her. Saaya moved to the closet and found a blue hoodie in front of her face. Huh? What an ugly hoodie. Way too worn and faded, and yet, that exact faded color was what would emphasize how beautiful she really was. Okay, this would do. Slipping it on over her school uniform, she stepped out of the closet and pulled out her phone. The hoodie fell just past her skirt making it the perfect length to hide anything she wore under it. She smiled brightly at the camera, ignoring the mess she made and snapped a picture. Nagihiko walked in on her with refreshments in his hands and stopped. He looked at the mess she made in his room, then at her. When he saw her in clothes that didn't belong to her, Nagihiko officially decided to dump Hurricane Saaya.

* * *

Rima tried to fall asleep by burrowing deeper under her covers, but failed in the end and gave in to a midnight show of comedy. The blond felt guilty, fully knowing what she was doing to her and Nagihiko's friendship, but didn't stop because she was a coward. Nagihiko kept asking worridly if she was okay and her clipped responses were the only thanks he got for his efforts. She hated hurting him, but at least he didn't recoil from her cold and lifeless tone anymore. The urge to apologize and make up hadn't left though. They were both aware of the growing distance and knowing that she was to blame wore her down to the bone. She wanted to stop, to close the distance between them, but doing so would leave her vulnerable and could even tear Nagihiko and Saaya apart. Her hands clenched into fists. Those two always looked so happy together. The TV screen began to blurr as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. That's right, she couldn't close the gap now, not without accidentally unleashing her jealousy and bitterness. Rima curled herself into a tighter ball on the grey couch. She was so ashamed of herself, and scoffed at the thought that she had actual changed for the better. In the end, her motive for her actions was to only protect herself from pain. She hadn't changed at all since elementary school. A single tear escaped from her eye and slid down her face.

* * *

It was raining hard when school was let out and everyone rushed to their cars to get home. Rima didn't wait for anyone as she tore across the school's front yard and sprinted to the other side of the street. She forgot her umbrella today but didn't care. Nagihiko was being extra persistent with her, trying to talk to her and make her laugh just like old times. Dodging him was extra tiring and his pushiness set her on edge. Saaya was nowhere to be seen the entire day. At least that was a plus. Weaving her way around others as she reached the sidewalk, she picked up her pace until she was sprinting. She wanted to get away from everything. From Nagihiko and his attention that was focused on her, from the rift she made between them, from the guilt, from the ache of missing him, from- "Oof!" Rima looked up from the rainsoaked ground to the person she accidentally tackled and quickly scrambled back to her feet. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Fujisaki! I wasn't looking where I was going."

The woman gracefully brushed herself off and gave Rima a thorough lookover. "Goodness child, you're soaked to the bone. Come with me."

"Uh... I'm fine, really."

"Nonsense. Come."

"...Ok." Ducking under the umbrella, she meekly followed the slender kimono-clad figure to her house.

The door slid open and Rima entered the home of the boy she had been trying to avoid the whole day. Leaving her shoes and socks at the entrance, she did her best to hide them out of sight and hoped that Nagihiko wouldn't be alerted of her presence by seeing them even though it was kind of inevitable in this situation. After all, she didn't think jumping out of the closest window upon Nagihiko's arrival would translate to Mrs. Fujisaki as thankful of her hospitality. A towel was handed to her and she accepted it with a sheepish smile. While she dried off, the woman walked into a different room and made some tea.

* * *

Mrs, Fujisaki knew it when they first met that the small blond, Rima, was special. Call it a mother's intuition, yes? Something with the way her son acted around the girl when he thought no one was looking hinted that he saw her as more than just a good friend. At first, she suspected that his smiles were to cover up how annoyed she made him feel, but then, as she saw how much Nagihiko enjoyed her presence, she realized that it wasn't that at all. His smiles were more genuine whenever Rima was around and soon, through their odd relationship that they had with each other, they grew to be best friends. She was fine with that as long as her son kept up with his dance practices and held good grades. A GPA of 4.0 had to be a sustained must. As time progressed, she grew more lenient with her son having friends over for the sake of observing the blond, eventually getting accustomed to catching the small details and gathering enough evidence to back up her suspicions. She may or may not have smiled when that happened.

Now it was time to see how worthy this girl truly was. Setting her open flip phone down on the table next to her, she faced Rima, who was sitting across from her with a straight back, small hands wrapped around her cup of tea. "So you are a friend of my son's," started the woman. The blond nodded, grip on the cup tightening ever so slightly. Touchy subject? Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Have you noticed any changes in Nagihiko's behavour? When he comes home, the boy seems upset more often than not."

Rima's face stayed nuetral though a trace of guilt could be found in her brown eyes.

"He doesn't smile as much anymore either."

The corners of her lips twitched downwards ever so slightly on her schooled face.

"He tries to hide it from me, but a mother always notices when something is wrong. Then he got a girlfriend." She sighed heavily and tsked. "That girl was no good for him at all."

Rima's lips pursed together. Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say anything she repeatedly told herself.

"Yamabuki Saaya, I believe her name was."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Fujisaki, but how does this concern me? His love life is of none of my business."

"True, but as his friend, I expect you to care for and look after him in areas that I am not allowed to help in. It's true that who he likes may be none of your business, but at least redirect him if you do not approve of the girl."

"I couldn't though... because I was the one who made him get a girlfriend in the first place. It was wrong, but he was getting under my skin. I told him I would stop wearing his blue hoodie if his status changed from single to taken. I didn't expect him to actually get someone though. He never showed an interest in dating." Rima struggled to get ahold of her emotions and began to shake from the effort. Curling into a small protective ball, she continued, "When he was taken, I began to distance myself from him so that he could have more time with Saaya. They always looked happy together, so..." She managed an awkward shrug, "why not?"

Mrs. Fujisaki watched her carefully. "You're not telling the complete truth," she finally said.

Rima let out a bitter laugh. "You Fujisakis, always being able to see through half truths and lies as easily as full lies." She hugged herself tighter. "I was jealous. I wanted Nagihiko to be single again, but the rift had already grown pretty big because of me. I figured it was okay, though, since his girlfriend made him happy in a way that a mere friend couldn't. I let the rift grow to protect myself from the pain of losing him." Clenching her teeth as she felt tears begin to form, she spat out, "I'm a coward." Rima buried her head as best as she could into the top of her knees. "I haven't changed at all since elementary school."

"Rima, why did you take his hoodie?"

Figuring she had nothing left to lose at this point since this woman was practically seeing her at her worst, she answered," It gave me something that I eventually became addicted to, something that I never had before."

"And what was that?"

Rima just shrugged.

"Rima."

"My parents were always fighting after I almost got kidnapped. I ended up losing my smile and became cold on the outside. When I met Amu and everyone, I got it back somewhat. Then my parents split and I was devistated. The switching of houses drove me insane and even when we all lived together, I didn't feel as though I belonged since I was the source of the problem. I called the place the House of Irony and stayed out of it for as long as I could until I got dragged back. Eventually I managed to convince my parent to let me live alone, promising to call when I could and letting them pay the rent so that I didn't have to go out and get a job. Focusing on school was what they wanted me to do. Plus, then they didn't have to worry about me walking back alone in the dark from work. Anyways," she sighed," I was always on the go and hated it."

Mrs. Fujisaki listened quietly, reading between the lines and coming up with a few possibilities. "Do you miss him?"

"Your son?"

"Yes."

"I don't think it would sound right coming from a female friend. With his status and all."

"Don't worry," Mrs. Fujisaki said airily, "Nagihiko and his girlfriend broke up yesterday."

Rima's head snapped up. "What?"

"Nagihiko is single again."

"O-oh." So that's why he was pestering her so much today.

"So, do you miss him? And what will you do to repair your relationship?"

"I think I should go," Rima said instead as she turned around to hide a smile and school her features once more. "It sounds like the rain has stopped."

"First the question, Miss Mashiro."

"I do," she told the mother quietly. "Every single day. And I would ask him for forgiveness after what I did to us, our friendship." She gave her thanks and with a small smile, said, "You have a beautiful home." before making a hasty exit. The girl didn't leave fast enough for Mrs. Fujisaki to miss the light blush dusting her pale cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

* * *

Upon the girl's departure, Mrs. Fujisaki went back inside to close the open phone before walking outside again. Following the side of the house, she went around to the back and found her son sitting in the wet grass, phone still held to his ear. At her footsteps, he looked up at his mother and smiled his first genuine smile ever since the whole mess started. It grew when his mother gave him a stern order using her You-Will-NOT-Disobey-Me tone of voice.

"Go after her."


	5. Forgiveness

Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara

* * *

The colors of his surroundings blurred together as he ran down the street. Houses, grass, concrete, everything. The chatter and bustle of the people he passed by were but a quiet hum of sounds that melded together in the background as he replayed the conversation his mother and Rima had in his head.

 _"So, do you miss him?"_

He remembered how he held his breath when his mother asked that question, the words of 'Probably not' leaping into his head. She didn't miss him at all he had thought. With her constant avoidance of him, the cold behavior and even colder words, it wasn't hard to come to the conclusion that she had gotten tired of him and his company. And it scared him. It scared him a lot when she started to push him away because he remembered how she acted with the divorce, how hard she had fought to keep her family together despite the obvious fact that her parent's divorce would be inevitable. They were fighting too much. Then one day, she just stopped. She gave up and avoided that house like the plague until her parents brought her back.

He guessed that she had one day just given up on him too like she did her broken family. The only difference was that he was too selfish to accept it. He didn't want her to give up on him nor did he want to lose her. So he fought. He pushed and gave it his all. He questioned her, observed her actions, seeing if he could find a clue as to why she would all of a sudden treat him the way she did. He tried to call her cell again and again only to feel the disappointment and worry grow as his call went to voicemail. Sometimes he would call her number just to hear her voice, as flat as it was. Her 'not home leave a message' never failed to bring a grin to his face. If it were a good day, a small smile would be teased out. Now he had a full blown smile as he ran, her answer making him feel lighter than air.

 _"I do. Every single day."_

He knew the way to Rima's new place by heart thanks to Amu's suggestion of a mini party to celebrate her moving into her new apartment. And since it was Amu, Rima agreed. Ikuto had brought his old lady sweet treats that he got from either a convenience store or his attic and Amu brought a bunch of chips. Utau brought the ice cream, Kukai the Ramen, and he brought the sodas. They played a bunch of games until Rima's favorite comedy show came on. She was so funny, turning the T.V. on and finding the channel with excitement filling her brown eyes. She wouldn't let anyone else even touch the remote just in case they accidentally changed the channel on her, and nobody was allowed to walk in front of the screen when they got up. Always around the back of the couch, but never in front where the screen could be blocked from her sight.

The front of Rima's building came into view, and he sped up, dodging around people as he raced hurriedly up the steps. Inside was gray carpet covered stairs that were flanked by tall walls pushed closely together. He made his way up the winding stairs; build just slim enough to keep his shoulders from brushing against the monochrome walls. He climbed higher until he reached her apartment door, the small triangular landing offering just enough space for another person if they wanted to squeeze past him. Panting, he dropped his hands to his bent knees and sucked in air.

It was time.

Straightening, he fixed his loosened school tie, tucked in his white button up shirt and ran a hand through his long silky hair. Adjusting his schoolbag to rest more comfortably on his shoulder, he nervously cleared his throat before knocking on the door. It was time to close the distance between them.

 _"And what will you do to repair your relationship?"_

 _"I would ask him for forgiveness after what I did to us."_


	6. Home

She's pacing when she hears a knock at the door, frustrated that she couldn't come up with a decent apology. Baking was ruled out right away since last time she tried, she set the smoke alarm off; and if that was the result of an attempt at simple peanut butter cookies, then trying to make creampuffs would result in her finding a new place to live for sure. The second option of working out the perfect apology wasn't going too well either. Everything was a mess. So when the knock came, it was a nice surprise... until she opened the door and found herself in front of Nagihiko. Shocked, she tries to say something only for it to come out as a dumfounded question. "U-uh, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." He sounds a bit out of breath causing her to eye him a bit more critically and spot a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. He rolls his sleeves up his forearms and she notices his veins protruding more than usual from under his skin. "Ah," he says a bit awkwardly, feeling nervous under her intense scrutiny, "may I come in?" He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, wondering if that was rude of him to ask after everything that had happened.

"No!" She blurts out, "I'm not ready yet! I still have to apologize to you!" Rima pinks as she realizes what she said and scowls. Out of all the times to let her panic get the better of her and make her lose her cool, it just had to be now. The plan was supposed to be her giving him a heartfelt apology after making a physical effort to make amends, not meeting him before she knew what to say! Sighing and resisting the urge to facepalm in front of him, she makes a defeated gesture allowing him to enter her apartment. After all, what else did she have to lose? He probably already thought she didn't want to see him or, even worse, hated him. He brushes past her gracefully.

"I, uh, was going to try and talk to you after I planned out what to say." She closes the door and hesitantly turns to face him. Her eyes flit to his face briefly before they land on her feet and stay there. She's barefoot and has toenails that have to be clipped. Where did she put the clippers again? The clock hanging on the kitchen wall ticks loudly as it counts down another second gone by. The lack of words gets to her and she begins to fidget with her shirt, picking off non-existant strands of long curly hair and wondering how long straightening it would take. Probably a few hours. And a lot of hairspray. Well, at least her bangs were straight. Why was her heart beating so loud in her chest? Was it her fight or flight instinct? Probably. The silence only makes it worse. How's her nails? She studies them with unecessary scrutiny and tries to calm herself down. No need to lose her cool in front of the same person twice in one day. She just has to remember to breath.

"I forgive you."

Her head snaps up to look at the man standing before her, surprised at the broken silence. "What?" Her voice is just above a whisper.

"I forgive you."

Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to say something, but, being unable to find the right words, just breathes out "Thank you," before relief overwhelms her. Then the unwanted tears come and he rushes to her side. Pulling her close, he lets her sob into his chest. She repeats the words "Thank you" and "I'm so sorry" again and again to him as she cries, thankful to have her friend back. He just holds her close, grateful that the distance would no longer grow between them. Moving to the couch, he waits until she's all cried out to ask her how she feels. By now she's practically asleep, head resting on his shoulder. Still, she mumbles out her answer. His eyes widen before he gives her a gentle smile that she misses. Pulling her closer to him, he places a kiss on the top of her golden head and whispers, "I've finally returned home too." before falling asleep himself.


End file.
